Date archives "April 2013"

Let us all support Open Tech Forever’s democratic Open Source Factory

“Open Tech Forever (OTF) is dedicated to developing new and improved, open source versions of modern and cutting-edge technologies. In the open source spirit, we create free, online, high quality educational resources demonstrating how to understand, redesign, and replicate our products. We cover not only the skills, designs and the train of thought behind the… Continue reading

Eric Hunting on Scott Howe’s self-assembling space frame systems

Excerpted from a discussion by Eric Hunting: “I’ve long been interested in construction automation, both for use in space and for domestic uses. Unable to employ much sweat equity in building myself, I’ve long been interested in the idea of building the machines that might build for me. One concept that I’ve wanted to explore… Continue reading

The maturation of alternative currencies in Brazil

Republished travelogue from Shane Hughes of the REconomy project: When it comes to the great global transition to a better world some places are completely fascinating to observe. For example, Bhutan and its policies of Gross National Happiness or Germany and their spread of community renewables. Brazil’s story of community banks and currencies is also… Continue reading

Eric Hunting’s commentary on Skyler Tidbits 4D Printing

Excerpted from Eric Hunting, our p2p urbanistic correspondent, who monitors modular architecture: “Skyler Tibbits’ concepts are really intriguing. At first glance my feeling was that this was something with huge potential, but all very distant. But the more I saw the more it seemed like there were some possibilities for demonstrating experimental architectural-scale structure in… Continue reading

Bitcoin and the fallacy of a non-political currency

While it is true that local communities have, in the past, generated successful communitarian currencies (that enabled them to improve welfare in their midst, especially at a time of acute economic crises), there can be no de-politicised currency capable of ‘powering’ an advanced, industrial society. An important and crucial argument by Yanis Varoufakis: * On… Continue reading